We for sure let our little 4 year old human run free Alex. You're on point with the overprotection delema. He can we learn balance and agility (as little ones) if we aren't allpwed to climb trees!

I like the idea of Adventure Playgrounds but I'm not sure we can get away with building one in the US without having some sort of child protection agency breathing down our backs... and this being a sue happy society it may be hard to find insurance against an court attack if a child scratches a knee on an oil drum or something.

That being said, the first time he climed a tree with 3 older kids, my heart wasn't at ease very much... It was easier to simply hope for the best and not watch too much.

I see many helicopter parents there are quite a lot who have smartened up in that sector. If our little guy cries he usually got really hurt, minor scruffs and stuff were never made a big deal of.